Bhubaneswar: Droupadi Murmu will script history Thursday by becoming the first President to address the Odisha Assembly, of which she was earlier a member.
Speaker Surama Padhy, who chaired an all-party meeting Wednesday, said it will be a historic moment for the assembly and its 147 members.
“The President will address the House from 4 pm to 5 pm. We are all eagerly waiting to listen to her. Her visit and address as the President are truly historic,” she said.
Padhy said Murmu will be the first President to visit and address the Odisha Assembly.
She said Murmu was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Rairangpur seat in Mayurbhanj district twice, in 2000 and 2004.
She also became a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha.
During her visit, Murmu will also visit room number 11, the chamber in the assembly from where she functioned as a minister.
She served as an MoS with independent charge for Commerce and Transportation from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002, and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004.
The chamber has been renovated ahead of her visit, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said.
In 2007, Murmu received the Nilkanth Award for the Best MLA of the Odisha Assembly.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and some MPs from the state and eminent personalities are also scheduled to attend the proceedings when the President addresses the assembly.
Keeping in view the President’s visit, the Odisha government has made elaborate security arrangements in Bhubaneswar, including in and around the assembly.
“In place of the usual three-tier security for assembly sessions, there will be four-tier security cover for the President’s visit,” a senior police officer said.
The Winter Session of the assembly will also begin Friday and is scheduled to continue till December 31.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is also in charge of Finance Department, will present the supplementary budget in the House November 28.
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